Parents are responsible for taking care of their children’s physical, emotional, and mental health. This can mean making careful decisions, such as prioritizing wellness and nutrition over fast food during mealtime. This sets a better example for self-conscious teens and builds healthy habits for younger children.
However, it isn’t always easy to make the right decisions regarding your children’s health. Because parenting is a full-time job, parents often end up with too little time to take care of themselves, impacting their bodies and emotions. That’s why it’s important to find a balance between keeping your health up and taking care of your family. Unsure where to start? Here are our tips for busy parents.
Eating healthier
It can be tempting to grab whatever is quick and easy when you’re short on time. However, parents actually have a heavy influence on children’s eating habits. Frequent consumption of convenient foods can encourage picky eating behavior, making the introduction of healthy food like vegetables more difficult later on.
To make the most out of your available time, weight loss programs that come with professional advice can help. Here, expert dieticians help compose your meal plan ahead of time while already taking your family’s lifestyle, budget, and taste preferences into consideration. You can streamline this process further by joining healthy grocery subscriptions like Misfits Market that delivers fresh and organic produce to your door on a regular basis.
This takes advantage of technology to connect with special services. This allows busy parents to save time when conceptualizing meals and shopping for groceries, all the while promoting a healthier yet doable diet for the entire family.
Exercising together
Any amount of exercise will be beneficial in reducing stress and improving your mood. If it’s hard to catch a break without the kids, try combining play with exercise by encouraging activities like swimming or yoga with your children. Yoga training for children can even develop confidence, compassion, and a mind-body connection while also fostering a deeper relationship with parents.
There are many studios that teach yoga to children and parents, so you and your child can go for a session at the same time. Your child can be left in the trusty hands of the trainer across the hall with other children, while you catch up on your own lesson in the other room. You can regroup with your child afterward before going home with them tuckered out and ready for bed.
Sleeping regularly
When one is well-rested with 7-9 hours of sleep, one will be better able to form memories, heal cells and tissue, and avoid illness. Here, setting a strict sleeping routine can help.
For example, you can set bedtime hours to be at 10 PM for all members of the household. You can encourage this by setting up play or exercise with kids directly before this. For parents of young infants, you may want to look into self-soothing techniques that allow babies to sleep for longer periods. When children rest well, parents can prioritize their own sleep as well.
Seeking support
Many parents tend to be afraid to seek support from others in fear that it reflects their competency as a parent. However, introducing your children to other trusted adults and relatives for babysitting lets them create meaningful relationships. This provides you a necessary breather as well so that you can better care for your kids in the bigger picture.
If you notice that you’re struggling with something more serious, it’s important to seek professional help. They can provide you with the support and guidance you need to manage your emotions, and this could make a big difference in you and your family’s lives.
Parenting isn’t always easy. When you properly take care of yourself, however, parenting can be a rewarding experience like no other. For more parenting news and events in Oregon, check out our other posts on Oregon Kid, and together we can collectively ensure your family’s health and wellness for the long run.
